Fascinating food in New York and occasionally farther afield

Closed

(This venue has closed.) Sichuan breakfast: Chengdu cold noodles. This beloved food stall shuttered when the lower level of Flushing's Golden Mall closed for renovations. At least a half-dozen mall vendors now operate elsewhere, but, sad to say, according to Joe DiStefano the proprietors of Chengdu Tianfu have no such plans.

(Correction: Previously I had written that Flushing's Golden Mall, in its entirety, would close at the end of July 2019. Subsequently I learned of good news: The street-level businesses will remain open while the lower level is renovated over the course of three to four months. When the lower level reopens (alas, without Chengdu Tianfu), the street level will be made over. Ultimately, four new floors will be built atop the current structure. The preceding paragraph has been edited to reflect this new reporting.)

Note also the arrangement of the wall menu shown below, the most comprehensive version of several different posted bills of fare. The menu items are arranged top-to-bottom and right-to-left, after the fashion of traditional Chinese text.

(This venue is closed.) Two-course dessert from this Loisaida kiosko, which closed in 2019 after more than 40 years. Also shown: a detail from the sign, illustrating a use for spare quarters that was more in vogue when the shop was new, and the storefront as it appeared in 2008.

(Durgin Park, established in 1827, closed in January 2019.) Indian pudding is a traditional New England dessert, but without a Native American pedigree. (Compare this maple pudding.) Its main ingredient is coarsely ground corn, once commonly known as Indian meal, baked with milk, molasses, and spices; vanilla ice cream is, of course, a relatively recent embellishment. Some Indian puddings are runny; Durgin Park's is full-bodied.

(This venue is closed.) Like its Garment District sibling, B&D, Dounet highlights the leaf-based sauces of Guinea, albeit on a comparatively abbreviated bill of fare. Shown: spinach sauce with beef, gently tweaked by
whiting.

(From my mom-and-pop archives; this little shop closed, after 30 years, in 2014.) In summer, when blueberries are in season, these nubbly half-moons are wonderful with a little butter and sugar. To my taste, however, plum pierogi — like the one shown below in cutaway view, from an autumn visit — are better with sour cream.

(This venue is closed.) End-on, the Byggybeef is modest in appearance. It betrays little of its makings — among them, warm beef slow-braised in pomegranate juice, and a bespoke vegetable combo that includes pickled fennel, carrot, red cabbage, and currants — but fanciful culinary formulas, which decorate the dining area, hint at the underlying alchemy.

(This venue is closed.) "Jay Parker, the owner of Ben's Best in Rego Park, is a third-generation deli man. Born in 1951 and raised in the nearby Queens neighborhood of Fresh Meadows, he first worked at the family business in the early 1960s. Since 1984, when he took the reins, he's clocked 60 to 70 hours a week. Yet 'this is my dad's store,' Jay tells us. 'His name is still on it.' Not far from where we sit in the dining room, a portrait of Ben Parker looks on, as if in agreement." Have yourself a sandwich — pastrami, anyone? — and read more on Culinary Backstreets.